Portable bathhouse



March 7, 1950 w. P. E. SMITH PORTABLE BATHHOUSE 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 Filed Sept. 16, 1947 March 7,. 1950 w. P. E. SMITH 2,499,790

PORTABLE BATHHOUSE Filed Sept. 16, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W/jerff? 5'. 5/77/77? Patented Mar. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE BATHHOUSE Wilbert P. E. Smith, Thomaston, Conn.

Application September 16, 1947, Serial No. 774,340

3 Claims.

This invention relates to portable house structures, and more particularly to a portable and collapsible bath house.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved portable and collapsible bath house which is very simple in structure, easy to assemble and light in weight.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved portable and collapsible bath house structure composed of a few simple parts which are inexpensive to manufacture, said parts being easily put together when the structure is to be erected and being readily dismantled when the structure is to be taken down, the separated parts being adapted to be carried in the storage compartment of an automobile.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following de scription and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a bath house structure according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the bath house structure of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a top member employed in the bath house structure of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective detail view illustrating the rear corner structure of the bath house shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a, perspective detail view of the intermediate panel of the door of the bath house of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is an elevational View of a front corner post employed in the structure of Figure 1, said post being shown in folded position.

Referring to the drawings, the framework of the bath house comprises four corner posts each corner post being preferably square in cross-section. The rear corner posts II, II have secured to their oppositely facing side surfaces respective C-shaped channel strips I2, I2 and to their forwardly facing surfaces respective C-shaped channel strips I3 and I3. The front corner posts I4, I4 have secured to their rearwardly facing surfaces respective C-shaped channel strips I5, l5.

The rear and side walls of the bath house structure each comprises four rectangular panels I6 of plywood, pressed board, or similar rigid sheet material, each panel having secured to its side edges channel members [1, as shown in Figure 5, adapted to be slidably and lockingly received in posts. Secured to the bottom of each post is a plate member I8 adapted to underlie the adjacent bottom edge portions of the lower panels to support said panels in position.

Each post is hinged at two points each spaced one third of its length, as shown at I9 and 21], the channel strips carried thereby being severed at these points to allow the post to be folded in the manner shown in Figure 7. When the wall panels are in interlocking engagement with the channel strips the vertical channels carried by the panels bridge the hinge joints and maintain the posts rigid.

A door structure is provided comprising a lower panel 2 I, an intermediate panel 22 and an upper panel 23. Upper panel 23 carries a pair of de pending dowels 24, 24 which are received in recesses 25, 25 formed in the top edge portion of intermediate panel 22. Panel 22 carries depending dowels 26, 26 which are similarly received in recesses formed in the top edge portion of lower panel 2|. Upper panel 23 is recessed at 2'! and carries a depending pin 28 which is rotatably received in an eye screw 29 carried by corner post I4 and projecting into recess 21. Lower panel 2| is recessed at 30 and carries a depending pin 3| which is rotatably received in an eye screw 32 carried by post I4 and which projects into recess 30. Panel 22 is provided with a handle 33.

Detachably secured to the lower portions of corner posts I4 and 14' below door panel 2| is a bottom member 34, said bottom member having hook brackets 35, 35' which engage suitable headed studs carried by the respective posts l4 and [4. A top member 33 is detachably secured to the posts I4 and I4 above panel 23 in a similar manner. Said top member carries a pair of plate members 31, 31 which overlie the top ends of the respective posts I4 and I4.

A roof member is provided comprising a rectangular panel 38 of suitable rigid material said the c-shaped channel strips carried by the corner panel being shaped to rest at its corners on the top ends of the corner posts II, II and I4, I4. Intermediate each edge of panel 38 is secured a depending lug 39 adapted to prevent horizontal movement of said panel with respect to the adjacent underlying portions of the bath house structure-when said panel is positioned in roofing relation therewith, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

When the bath house is not in use the parts may be quickly dismantled for storage or transportation. The corner posts may be folded in the manner described above and the various panels stacked together to minimize the bulk of the collapsed structure. In assembling the structure for use, the corner posts are first unfolded and the rear and side wall panels lockingly engaged therewith to form a three-sided enclosure. The bottom member 3A is then secured to the lower portions of posts l4 and I4. Doo panel 21 is then engaged with eye screw 32. Door panel 22 is then lockingly engaged with panel 2| and top door panel 23 is engaged with panel 22, simultaneously being pivotally engaged with upper eyc screw 29. Top member 36 is then secured to the upper portions of posts 14 and I4, and roof panel 33 is placed on top of the structure in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to complete the enclosure.

While a specific embodiment of a collapsible bath house structure has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will'be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.

Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention other than as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A knock-down bath house, comprising front and rear pairs of upright corner posts, each post including a plurality of hinged sections so that the posts are foldable when the bath house is disassembled, substantially tubular longitudinal channels secured to inner and forward sides of the rear pair of posts and to the rear sides only of the forward pair of posts, all of said channels being formed of a plurality of separate sections having their ends abutting adjacent to the abutting ends of the hinged sections of the corner posts to permit the folding of the posts, each substantially tubular channel having a longitudinal slot in its side remote from the post to which it is secured and extending for the entire length of the channel, a plurality of inner bars slidably mounted within each substantially tubular channel in end-to-end relation and arranged to overlap the abutting ends of the hinged sections of the posts to prevent the posts from folding in assembly, a plurality of separate panels disposed between the rear pair of posts and arranged in vertical edge-to-edge relation, the opposite ends of the panel extending slidably through the slots of the channels on theinner sides of the rear pair of posts and being secured to the bars within such channels and forming the back of the bath house, a plurality of separate panels disposed between forward and rear posts and arranged in edge-to-edge relation in a substantially vertical plane, the opposite ends of the last-named panels extending slidably through the slots of the channels on the front sides of the rear posts and rear sides of the front posts and being secured to the bars within said channels and forming the sides of the bath house, and a door for the front side of the bath house and connected with one of the front posts.

2. A detachable connection for a post and wall panel of a building, said post including a plurality of abutting hinged sections so that the post may be folded when disassembled from the panel, a substantially tubular longitudinal channel secured to a side of the post and including a plurality of separate channel sections having their ends abutting adjacent to the abutting ends of the hinged sections of the post to permit the folding of the post, the substantially tubular channel having a longitudinal slot in its side remote from the post and extending throughout its entire length, a plurality of inner bars slidably mounted within the channel in end-toend abutting relation and being of such lengths as to overlap the abutting ends of the hinged post sections to prevent the posts from folding in assembly, said wall panel including a plurality of separate panel sections disposed in edge-toedge relation in a substantially vertical plane, one enclof each panel section extending slidably through the slot of the channel and being secured to a bar within the channel, each panel section being of substantially the same height in assembly as the bar to which it is secured, whereby the bars and panel sections maybe applied to and removed from the channel by slid ing them longitudinally of the post.

3. A detachable connection for a post and wall panel of a building, said post including a plurality of abutting hinged sections so that the post may be folded when disassembled from the panel, a substantially tubular rectangular longitudinal channel secured to a side of the post and including a plurality of separate rectangular channel sections having their ends abutting adjacent to the abuttin ends of the hinged sections of the post to permit the folding of the post, the substantially tubular channel having a longitudinal slot in its side remote from the post and extending throughout its entire length, a plurality of inner rectangular bars slidably mounted within the rectangular channel in end-to-encl abutting relation and being of such lengths as to overlap the abutting ends of the hinged post sections to prevent the posts from folding in assembly, said wall panel including a plurality of separate panel sections disposed in edge-toedge relation in a substantially vertical plane, one end of each panel section extendin slidably through the slot of the channel and being secured to a bar within the channel, each panel section being of substantially the same height in assembly as the bar to which it is secured, whereby the bars and panel sections may be applied to and removed from the channel by sliding them longitudinally of the post.

WILBERT P. E. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 345,944 Anderfuren July 20, 1836 1,228,317 Gravel May 29, 1917 1,379,882 Swartz May 31, 1921 1,564,393 York Dec. 8, 1925 1,748,670 Craft Feb. 25, 1930 

